They didn’t come into the day with the intention to do so, but the Astros, in building for the future, found themselves building for the distant future. Houston took high school players with their first two of three choices on the opening night of the Major League Baseball draft, selecting the speedy and versatile Delino DeShields Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick and pitcher Mike Foltynewicz at No. 19. With the No. 33 pick, which like the 19th was compensation for the loss of Jose Valverde to free agency, the Astros picked Michael Kvasnicka, a switch-hitting catcher out of the University of Minnesota, whom the Astros will put at third base. The Astros’ draft, the culmination of months of scouting and compiling information, began by taking DeShields, a 5-9, 175-pound lightning bolt out of Woodward Academy in the Atlanta area. His father of the same name played 13 years in the major leagues for the Expos, Dodgers, Cardinals, Orioles and Cubs. He stole 463 bases during his career, playing mostly second base. DeShields was one of the fastest players in the draft, stealing 29 bases as a senior while hitting .415 with nine home runs. The only question that remains is the position for the extremely profound athlete, also a high-caliber football player. “He’s going to play center field at (rookie-level) Greeneville and then we’ll begin the transition to second base probably during instructional league,” general manager Ed Wade said. DeShields is committed to LSU, but the Astros have until Aug. 16, which happens to be his 18th birthday, to sign him. Speaking via telephone Monday night, he gave off the notion of rather easy signability, as he said the Tigers committed to only a partial scholarship because of his desire to play professionally. “They really wanted me to go there, but coach (David) Grewe over there was like ‘be honest, will LSU be a backup plan,’ and I was like ‘yes sir, it is my backup plan, just in case I don’t go where I want in the draft,’ ” DeShields said. “This is the best opportunity I have to play pro ball, so I don’t want to give it up and take chances.” Chances of signing good Asked about his confidence in the ability to put DeShields in the uniform of an Astros affiliate, assistant general manager and scouting director Bobby Heck replied “extremely,” citing the work of scouts Lincoln Martin and Clarence Johns, who teamed up in 2008 to scout and sign second-rounder Jay Austin, another speedy Atlanta product. “We have a very good relationship with Delino and his family through multiple scouts,” Heck said. “He’s made it clear that he does want to start his professional career, and he does want to play this summer.” While DeShields was rarely seen as a top-10 talent among media covering amateur baseball, several teams with picks early reportedly had interest, and the Astros jumped at the chance to take him eighth, knowing they might not have another chance. “We knew he wasn’t getting to 19, but it wasn’t a strategic thing, his talent warranted his selection at No. 8, and we were very happy to select him there,” Heck said. Going with talent The man who did reach them at 19, Foltynewicz, is a righthanded pitcher from the Chicago area who committed to the University of Texas. The 6-4, 190-pounder out of Minooka Community High School has a good fastball that can reach the mid-90s with a solid changeup. He completed the repeat of the 2009 draft with the Astros’ high school-high school start (Jiovanni Mier, Tanner Bushue). “It wasn’t based on youth; it was based solely on talent,” Heck said. They dipped into the collegiate ranks for the first time with the first pick of the compensation round. Kvasnicka, at the time of his selection, was hitting .350 with a .457 on-base percentage and a .567 slugging percentage for the Golden Gophers — in part from the catcher position. The Astros like him as a third baseman, however, but will take advantage of his versatility should other talent in the organization force a change. “I think that’s where we’d like to explore, and we think that’s where his better ceiling and profile lie,” Heck said. The three picks in the first round (including the compensation round) were the most the Astros have had since three in 1994. The No. 8 pick was the Astros’ highest since they took Phil Nevin No. 1 overall in 1992. Top pick not a surprise This year’s No. 1 pick was a surprise, not in the pick itself, but in the fact that Washington selected Bryce Harper as an outfielder rather than as a catcher. He caught a plurality of his games at the College of Southern Nevada, and it’s where he might carry more value. Harper, a prodigy who landed on the cover of Sports Illustrated at 16, dropped out of high school and got his GED so he could play in the wood bat league at 17, which is his current age. The Woodlands High School’s Jameson Taillon went to the Pittsburgh Pirates No. 2 overall, tying the record for the highest a prep righthanded pitcher has been drafted. Former Astros great J.R. Richard and Spring High School product Josh Beckett were other high school righties taken No. 2 overall. Greater Houston scored a second early pick when Barret Loux, a Stratford High School product pitching at Texas A&M, went sixth overall to Arizona. In between, the Orioles took Manny Machado out of the Florida prep ranks at No. 3. Christian Colon, a Cal State Fullerton shortstop went fourth to Kansas City. Mississippi lefty Drew Pomeranz was the first college pitcher off the board when Cleveland took him at No. 5, and after Loux went to the Diamondbacks, the Mets put the Astros on the clock with the selection of Matt Harvey. The three players the Astros drafted but did not sign in 2007 who were projected to go early — Derek Dietrich of Georgia Tech, Brett Eibner of Arkansas and Chad Bettis of Texas Tech — will still be on the board when day two begins at 11 a.m. today. The teams will call it a day after the 30th round and make their selections in the 31st-50th rounds on Wednesday.